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What do you think of this M20K?


mattcheston

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New user here, looking to maybe join the Mooney club. I'm moderately interested in this M20K. Seems a touch expensive for its current unassembled condition and I have no idea how I'd get it back to Colorado.

Any thoughts?

https://www.barnstormers.com/classified_1422308_Mooney+M20K+.html

Edited by mattcheston
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Full disclosure, I’ve never restored a plane, but IMO...
You’d have to separate the wings from the fuselage and truck it.
See the rust on the shafts of the yokes? That’s going to be everywhere: inside the engine, switches, motors...
Do you like flying an airplane or working on them?
Hasn’t flow in 28 years?!
Engine/turbo overhaul: $50,000
Upgrade panel: $50,000
Disassembled, transport, reassemble, finish painting, various airframe repairs: $50,000

They said they have to move it by end of the month, how you going to get that done?

I would not pay more than the going salvage price.

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I'll also caveat and say that I'm learning every day and have zero mechanical capabilities. But if I was to share the collective insight from everyone on this board that I have read over the past few months it would be this: 

Unless you are an A&P just looking for a project and have a lot of spare money...run away.

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6 hours ago, mattcheston said:

New user here, looking to maybe join the Mooney club. I'm moderately interested in this M20K. Seems a touch expensive for its current unassembled condition and I have no idea how I'd get it back to Colorado.

Any thoughts?

https://www.barnstormers.com/classified_1422308_Mooney+M20K+.html

There's been a lot of discussion on this airplane already. It's been sold.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Lowball cost would be absolute (very unlikely) minimum total assuming no tank leaks, no missing parts, no major corrosion, no damage found, some avionics from ebay, no surprises, etc.

Maybe cost would be more reasonable based on almost 30 years of rotting.  Obviously there's almost no upper limit.

Even if you remove labour it's no bargain considering hanger and other fixed costs during the 6 months to a year of full time personal commitment.

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4 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

What blows my mind is that someone would buy this thinking they'd show up with a ferry permit and fly it home. I know the ask was only $15k but that's still too much for me to just take a flyer on, literally sight unseen.

I don’t think you could even get a ferry permit issued by the FSDO inspector for this plane, it’s in so many pieces.

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Exactly.

Take a look at the Ebay ad for this. It's remarkably detailed. And the seller says... I purchased recently in hopes of being able to ferry it home before the end of 2018.  After purchasing it, I realized that it is going to take a bit more work than I was ready for (particularly on the engine) to get it ready to ferry, and I would rather not go through disassembly for road transport. 

He was going to ferry it from Hayward, CA to Austin, TX. 

Hmmmm.... Austin, TX? I wonder if I know this guy.

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7 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

Exactly.

Take a look at the Ebay ad for this. It's remarkably detailed. And the seller says... I purchased recently in hopes of being able to ferry it home before the end of 2018.  After purchasing it, I realized that it is going to take a bit more work than I was ready for (particularly on the engine) to get it ready to ferry, and I would rather not go through disassembly for road transport. 

He was going to ferry it from Hayward, CA to Austin, TX. 

Hmmmm.... Austin, TX? I wonder if I know this guy.

Got to hand it to the guy- he’s trying to be honest.

the details about the camshaft seeming to be worn irregularly and the lifters showing pitting... the avionics that do and do not turn on under power.  15K? That might actually be more than fair salvage pricing. But I don’t know if I’d want to rebuild the thing.

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+1 for honesty!

-1 for value trap...

A plane like this may be good for....

  • mechanic
  • with shop space
  • 50-100amu working capital
  • Ability to transport the carcass
  • 1000 hours of time to dedicate to the project...

These items would be helpful to make a project like this viable...

If you are an ordinary PP, Be cautious of the value trap... paying a mechanic to do this work for you, will become incredibly expensive until the project is in AW condition.

This is expert level kind of work.  The opposite end of the spectrum from first time owner.

Even dismantling and selling off parts is better for the expert like Mr. Sandford...

Things to consider before embarking on a project of this scale...

One thing to make you think before jumping... cost just to hangar this project is similar to paying rent.... in some places.

Best regards,

-a-

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If a guy bought a K model like this and didnt want to mess with a turbo, would it be feasible to just hang an IO-360 on the front and basically have a J model? Or is there other differences? I know very little about Mooneys in general and have been reading this forum the past little while trying to learn a few things as I believe the Mooney fits pretty well with what I want to do. 

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2 hours ago, Farky said:

If a guy bought a K model like this and didnt want to mess with a turbo, would it be feasible to just hang an IO-360 on the front and basically have a J model? Or is there other differences? I know very little about Mooneys in general and have been reading this forum the past little while trying to learn a few things as I believe the Mooney fits pretty well with what I want to do. 

You'd need an STC for that which would cost 100's of 1,000's of dollars.

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Welcome aboard Farky...

Changing major equipment out of certified type aircraft requires following a few rules...

Selecting a different engine than the airframe has had in the past would require testing to prove a myriad of things...

An example of this is the J that became a Missile by changing the engine to an IO550....

Look up all the STCs for the M20K to see if there is an engine that is available...

Compare the costs, you may find some opportunities out there...

Writing an STC is a full time job for some people.... so generating an STC gets expensive quickly.

The Experimental category is great for selecting airframes and engines with a lot of latitude.... 

Best regards,

-a-

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36 minutes ago, Farky said:

If a guy bought a K model like this and didnt want to mess with a turbo, would it be feasible to just hang an IO-360 on the front and basically have a J model? Or is there other differences? I know very little about Mooneys in general and have been reading this forum the past little while trying to learn a few things as I believe the Mooney fits pretty well with what I want to do. 

Let me summarize what Anthony @carusoam is saying in answer to your question.... "No"

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2 hours ago, carusoam said:

Welcome aboard Farky...

Changing major equipment out of certified type aircraft requires following a few rules...

Selecting a different engine than the airframe has had in the past would require testing to prove a myriad of things...

An example of this is the J that became a Missile by changing the engine to an IO550....

Look up all the STCs for the M20K to see if there is an engine that is available...

Compare the costs, you may find some opportunities out there...

Writing an STC is a full time job for some people.... so generating an STC gets expensive quickly.

The Experimental category is great for selecting airframes and engines with a lot of latitude.... 

Best regards,

-a-

I didn't realize it was that extensive......thanks for the explanation. 

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